In response to the need to curb gun violence, Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown and Niagara Falls Mayor Paul A. Dyster joined with over 750 city executives across the nation by signing on to a letter to President Barack Obama from Mayors Against Illegal Guns. The letter, also delivered to Congressional leaders on December 19, 2012, presents agenda items for consideration and immediate actions that can help make American cities safer.
The letter states, "Together, we urge you to put forward an agenda that is rooted in common sense and that will make it harder for dangerous people to possess guns, and easier for police and prosecutors to crack down on them. That agenda should: (1) require every gun buyer to pass a criminal background check, (2) get high capacity rifles and ammunition magazines off our streets, and (3) make gun trafficking a federal crime."
Immediate actions to curb gun violence encouraged by Congress and The White House include: appointment of an ATF director; prosecution of prohibited purchasers who attempt to buy firearms, ammunition or high-capacity magazines; requirement of federal agencies to report records to NICS; and repeal of remaining Tiahrt restrictions. (Please see full letter attached/below.)
Mayor Paul A. Dyster comments, "At Sunday evening's memorial service, President Obama said that if there was even one step that we as a nation could take to save another child or parent or town from the grief that has visited Newtown, then we have an obligation to try. I couldn't agree more. Our bipartisan coalition of mayors from across the country--many of them sportsmen and gun owners themselves--have given the President a menu of common sense actions we think are both practical and impactful. The President should know he can count on the support of the nation's mayors as he moves to address the issue of gun violence in our country."
"immediate actions that can help make American cities safer"
Something immediate for that goal which states and counties could, if they really wanted to, start doing without any law changes would be to start more seriously enforcing current laws already on the books against violence and illegal gun possession while committing other crimes.
This could be done through policies for plea bargaining, sentencing, and parole decisions - and might also need more prosecutors, jail guards, etc.
Yes, I realize that step wouldn't have stopped what happened in Newtown, but neither would have many of the steps being suggested now - so apparently the national discussion is open to all ideas.
Quick example from recent Minnesota Ave homicide
http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20121211/CITYANDREGION/121219816/1010
"… But authorities confirmed Eatmon had an extensive criminal record. In 2007, he pleaded guilty to third-degree robbery and was sentenced to one year on probation. He soon violated that probation, earning him five years on probation, court records show.
He was still on probation when police announced in February 2009 that they were searching for him in connection with the rape of a 14-year-old girl a month earlier. In May of that year, he pleaded guilty to third-degree rape and was sentenced to one year in jail, court records show.
..."
Okay, so even after he violated probation for the robbery (not burglary, robbery), he _still_ wasn't given any jail time here. Then he's convicted of rape while on parole for two previous crimes (the robbery plus first parole violation), and even after all three of those convictions he's sentenced to…. 1 year, then released back out here with all of us.
Apparently he might have done something to anger someone who killed him if he was the target. Fortunately there might not have been any bystanders also killed, but there easily could have been (and who knows, maybe even the woman killed with him was essentially a bystander, that isn't yet known). But after convictions for separate instances of robbery, rape, and parole violation - he should have been serving a very long jail sentence instead of being out doing whatever he was doing.
How come Mayors Brown & Dyster don't also complain to the state & county about the revolving door of justice in addition to asking for new federal laws?
I think all reasonable people agree we need to look at this problem from all sides, reasonable gun control is just one very important part of that effort. I think this particular incident has finally turned the popular opinion against the gun fanatics that have dictated our public policy for far too long.
I'll be pleasantly surprised if looking "from all sides" at the what mayors Brown & Dyson raised about "actions that can help make American cities safer" will really include looking at our revolving door for repeat offense violent crimes as happens here in Buffalo.
(and if anyone is about to say the wrist slaps for that now-murdered robber/rapist were rare exceptions, just tell me how high a number isn't 'rare' and I can easily find that many other local examples)
If there's so much frequent unwillingness in our NYS & county justice systems here to enforce current laws against repeat offenses like robbery & rape - and our local/state electeds very seldom (if ever?) speak about that - it makes me wonder if any new federal or NYS laws would be seriously enforced ayway… or if they're mostly just for showy politics.
I am with you on more aggresive prosecution , it is frustrating to see so many violent offenders slip through the cracks of our criminal justice system. I think part of the problem is the resources and energy that are squandered prosecuting drug offenders, we should concentrate our effort on those that would do us real harm. I also believe our police officers would be much more effective and aggressive if they lived in Buffalo and had a personal stake in our community. There is an officer that lives here in Black Rock that often attends block club meetings, community meetings, and business organization meetings. He also is willing to engage with citizens on the street, a real asset to the neighborhood. He is sadly the exception, most police officers do not live here and rarely make any effort to connect with the citizens. The police are often seen as an occupying force, not as a partner in the community. That needs to change if we want to make real progress in community safety.
BRL>"I am with you on more aggresive prosecution , it is frustrating to see so many violent offenders slip through the cracks of our criminal justice system."
It would be nice if our view about that was shared by more people here, but maybe it isn't based on who we keep electing in NYS & Erie Co.
BRL>"I also believe our police officers would be much more effective and aggressive if they lived in Buffalo and had a personal stake in our community."
But even if suburban-resident BPD cops really do slack on arrests compared to city-resident cops, that Minnesota Ave example shows the amount of people already being arrested/convicted for serious crimes is more than we're willing to jail for long.
He'd been arrested at least 3x for 3 convictions (robbery, rape, parole violation). And it isn't unusual for the # of arrests to be a lot higher than the # of convictions, so who knows how many times the BPD had arrested him.
I just don't see any evidence that the # of arrests by BPD for serious (not drug possession) crimes isn't plenty high enough already for what the system's capacity. The issues seem to be what happens by DAs, judges, and legislators who decide how many cells are funded for violent convictions.
I also agree on not jailing nonviolent drug offenders, but they're already a pretty small % in NYS prisons, around 17%.
As of 2009, 80% of 13,400 drug-related inmates were nonviolent (says the Assembly here when they did repeal Rockefeller sentencing), so that's around 10,000.
That's out of around 60,000 total state prisoners that year, so 10,000 is 17%.
It would be good to reduce it down to 0% no matter what, then keep the cells open and used for serious crimes. (I just doubt they'd do that latter part, even if they did the first.)
I am not sure it is about who we elect, I think it has more to do with the way our society ignores crime as long as the victims are non-white or poor city dwellers. A few years ago two black guys tried to hold up a store in Amherst. Massive resources were deployed, the schools were locked down, helicopters were brought in, and a house to house search was undertaken. On the same day a city of Buffalo deli owner was murdered in his store, there was no massive response, no lock down, no helicopters, and no house to house search, guess which story repeatedly dominated the news cycle?
I don't necessarily believe non-resident cops slack on arrests, my point is their lack of connection to the neighborhoods they patrol. It is human nature to protect and defend the place we call home, we need that kind of passionate committment from our police officers.
Good to find some common ground, if we can do it our elected officials in Washington should be able to do the same.